Right next to the Houses Of Goa Museum, lies a gallery-meets-store dedicated to Goa's most celebrated artist, Mario Miranda. We say, when in North Goa, do stop by for a tour. You'll love how the whole space looks with its life-sized statues. Just a stroll around the museum, browsing through Miranda's works, is an introduction to Goa’s unique history. All his observations and insights on Goan culture come to life through a myriad of things that can be found over two floors. Mugs, t-shirts, scarves, fridge magnets, lamps, wall art and lots more gift-worthy things lie inside, bearing a testament to the cartoonist's wit and power of observation.
While we still love the place, the museum is more like a store and less like a museum. It would indeed have been nice to see more of Miranda's life-sized statues here or have clippings of his interviews or old photos of him to get to know him better. There's really little about the artist himself here and we have to be honest, we were expecting more. The building though, with its gardens and statues, is a majestic marvel.
Buying a ticket to the museum of houses gets you a discount at the Mario gallery and if you're wondering whether shopping here will leave you broke, the answer is no. The tiny magnets start at INR 150 and you can pick up crockery, small framed posters and lamps between INR 500 to INR 2,000. Naturally, since it's 2021 there are super quirky masks that feature the cartoonist's work too. Priced at about INR 250, this one's a souvenir we are definitely getting!